Gorilla Habitat

Gorilla Habitat and Distribution

You will find the gorillas living in both tropic and sub tropic areas. They have an extreme range which really does surprise most people. Some of them live in the very lowlands while others are in the extreme elevations of the mountains. Many gorillas live in Africa along the forests and swamps. Others live in the mountain region of the Albertine Rift.

It is important to for them to have plenty of room to roam. Gorillas move every single day for food and to look for a place to sleep that night. They don’t remain in one place which is very interesting. They tend to move to areas where there is plenty of food. In fact, they can walk up in the morning and consume food without having to move at all if they want to.

After a morning of playing and eating, the gorillas get ready for an afternoon nap. They have to make a new nest to sleep in every day so the process is one that they can do quickly. They make it out of leaves and twigs. Even if they stay eating in that same area that night they will make a new nest. They never sleep in the same one twice!

The young will sleep in a nest with their mother until they are about 6 years of age. At that point they will start to make their own nests but often sleep very close to her. The dominant male is generally the first to pick a place to put a nest and then the others will settle around him.

Due to the fact that gorillas migrate daily for food, they aren’t territorial in nature. They tend to pass each other often out there in the wild. Most of the time these interactions are friendly or they happen without any real interaction at all. There will be problems though if one of the gorillas from another troop tries to invade the space of the silverback though.

They tend to enjoy the terrain that is flat as they are able to move around on it much easier. However, they also have the ability to climb over rocky areas and to get into places that most humans would be exhausted moving around in. For the most part they spend time on the ground though. Climbing is generally reserved for getting to the various sources of food that they need.

You will find that gorillas don’t spend too much time close to the water. They don’t need to consume much of it due to the moisture that is in their food sources. They also aren’t good at swimming so the water becomes a barrier to them instead of something that serves a purpose.

If you pay close attention to the signs in the vegetation you will be able to tell if gorillas have recently been there or not. One of the best signs is those of their nests where they would have slept. They also have a clearing method that they use for feeding so you will see definite paths along the way that show they have been through there recently.

If they have been in an area recently, it may smell like sweat from humans. They will also leave behind quite a bit of waste from their bodies so the smell you come upon may not be one you want to have lingering!